Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?”
2 Samuel 7:18
Responding with Worship
On the heels of declaring his desire to build a house for God, David receives two important pieces of information from the LORD through the prophet Nathan. One, David learns that he is not going to be the one to build God a house. Two, he learns that God is building, through him, a house that will last forever. David must have been quite accustomed to hearing words similar to what Nathan had said just the previous night; “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.” So the follow-up must have come as a bit of a shock. To paraphrase, God says to David through Nathan, “Have I asked anyone to build me a house? No. Rather I have taken you from the field and made you a king over my people to whom I have given land and peace, and I have been content moving about in a tent among my people. Furthermore, I am going to make you a house through one that comes after you, and he will build a house for my name.”
Hearing this, David must have experienced a sense of disappointment in not getting to “do all that was in his heart” in building a house for God. At the same time, there must have been a sense of wonder, anticipation, and excitement about this concept of an eternal throne.
We all experience areas of disappointment in our lives and they are not always offset by anticipation or wonder of things to come. However we all would do well to ponder David’s words “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?”
Before moving on, it is important to understand that the full text from 2 Samuel 7:4-17 is well known as the Davidic Covenant, and arguably is the most important Old Testament scripture shaping the Christian understanding of Jesus. In “The New American Commentary”, Robert Bergman says the divine declarations proclaimed here through the prophet Nathan are foundational for seven major New Testament teachings about Jesus: that He is (1) the son of David, (2) one who would rise from the dead, (3) the builder of the house for God, (4) the possessor of a throne, (5) the possessor of an eternal kingdom, (6) the son of God, (7) the product of an immaculate conception since he had God as his father.
Moving ahead just a few chapters to 2 Samuel 11 and 12, we see another major turning point in David’s life. This seems to be the first exposure of David as a sinful man. Up to this point in scripture, David has been portrayed as a man after God’s own heart and if we set aside some moments of vengeful anger that could have resulted in great sin, it appears David is a righteous man. That perception is shattered in just a few short verses as David violates multiple commandments by coveting that which is not his, committing adultery with another man’s wife, and then committing murder in an attempt to cover up the first two. David’s actions are worthy of death. But God in His great mercy, and because He is faithful even when we are not, brings discipline rather than wrath. David experienced heartbreaking discipline in the loss of the child that was a result of his great failure with Bathsheba.
As children of God, like David, we experience God’s discipline rather than His wrath. Like David, we are a people after God’s own heart as God continues to do a work in us (Philippians 1:6), giving us a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 11:19-20), conforming us into the image of His son (Romans 8:29). Like David, we experience disappointment and discipline. What I find encouraging in the aforementioned events, is David’s response.
David’s response to his great disappointment is the same as his response to the discipline that followed his great failure. The second half of chapter seven (v18-29) is David’s prayer of gratitude where he ponders all that God has done for him, and all that God has promised He will do for him. Humbling himself and exalting God in all that He has done, David worships Yahweh. He is in awe of God’s loving-kindness; “Who am I, oh Lord God”. More challenging is David’s response in the latter part of chapter 12 after learning that his child is dead. Verse 20 tells us “Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped.”
As a point of clarity, not all tragedy is discipline. We all experience varying times of wonder at what God is doing, we all experience disappointment in what God is not doing, or not allowing us to do. We all experience heartbreaking difficulties in our lives that may or may not be discipline from God. Not every tragedy in our lives or in the lives of those around us should be viewed as a discipline. Tragedy comes with the territory of being in this fallen age. Nevertheless, we control our response, and we can still respond with worship.
Reflecting on the marvelous gift of salvation that God has given to us as a gift of His grace and marveling at what our future holds because of the promises of our faithful God, we too can experience what David experienced: a peace that comes not from understanding but surpasses understanding (Philippians 4:7). A peace that is better than understanding. We too can experience that peace in times of joy, in times of wonder, in times of disappointment, in times of grief. A peace that leads us to worship God in all things. Not that any of us do this perfectly, but together we encourage one another toward that end (Philippians 3:12-21).
Pastor Kelly
